Family Sunday! Spring Wildflowers

Spring is in the air, which means wildflowers are starting to bloom! This month Lucas Miller shares information about the iconic bluebonnet as well as some suggestions for viewing wildflowers with your family. The photo to the left is of Lucas and his family enjoying a beautiful spring day in Texas.

I was raised in Kentucky and moved to Austin, Texas, in my early twenties. I had heard a bit about the bluebonnets, the state flower, and how devotedly Texans loved them. But I really wasn’t prepared for the spectacle when I experienced my first Texas springtime. We had flowers back in Kentucky but the gaudy mixture of colors, shapes, and sizes blanketing the hills of central Texas left me astounded. I’m not Mr. Macho or anything but I never expected to be so taken with wildflowers. Read more

Family Friday: You Can Raise Monarch Butterflies

This month Lucas Miller shares how you can raise monarch butterflies in your own yard easily and inexpensively. Since milkweeds are the host plant for monarchs caterpillars, you’ll be helping to preserve these beautiful creatures for future generations as well as creating a fun family activity. As you can see from the picture, milkweed flowers are beautiful. They also have a lovely sweet smell (hard to tell that from the picture!). Be sure to check out his song about the monarch – it is one of our girls’ favorites!

Beginning about the middle of March, millions upon millions of monarch butterflies make their ways back to the USA as they return from the forested mountainsides in south central Mexico where they spend their winters. Monarch scientists and enthusiasts had feared lower numbers this year but, I’m pleased to report, the estimates are actually up slightly over 2007-08. Read more